We Ordered The Most Outrageous Poutines At 2 Top Montreal Spots — Here's How It Went

This Opinion article is part of a Narcity Media series. The views expressed are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Narcity Media.

When you're given the opportunity to dive into not one, not two, but four sinfully delicious poutines at iconic Montreal institutions — you don't say no.

As Poutine Week continues its takeover across the city, Quebec content creator and cheesemaker Fred Le Fromager Urbain and I got in the poutine spirit and ventured off to La Banquise and Ma Poule Mouillée — two of the top poutine spots in Montreal according to Google Maps data.

The goal? To try out some of the most extravagant poutine creations the two Montreal restaurants have to offer, and enjoy every. single. bit of it.

Fred Le Fromager Urbain

First stop, La Banquise.

Fred and I perched ourselves in the back corner of the bustling Montreal eatery known for its wild iterations, all of which you can devour 24/7. Three poutines immediately stood out to us — La Sud-Ouest, La Scooby and La Couvre Feu — and for $14.25 for a regular-sized poutine, you simply can't go wrong.

La Sud-Ouest is made with bacon, red onions, onion rings, Chipotle sauce and lots of guacamole. Before even getting a full bite of fries, cheese, gravy and all, we each went for an onion ring, and the flavour of the guac and spice from the Chipotle sauce made it clear we made the right choice.

As we went in for a proper fork-full, the ingredients blended together brilliantly and completely countered the entire argument that "less is more."

The same applied to La Scooby, which came topped with minced steak, bacon, onions, fried pickles and garlic Caesar sauce. We were both beyond excited to see how the fried pickles would go with the rest of the ingredients and turns out, it was fire. The pickles were the perfect level of crunchy yet juicy, and paired with the garlic sauce? Game over.

La Couvre Feu marked the final poutine from La Banquise, and while we were loving every bite, the poutine sweats were starting and we were getting really full really fast.

It's made up of minced steak, onions, cheese sauce, peppers and mac and cheese bites. Yes, cheese curds, cheese sauce, and mac n' cheese bites — La Couvre Feu didn't miss. If you're a cheese lover (I mean you're eating poutine so the odds of that being true are high) then this is the poutine to get. The cheese on cheese on cheese moment was one I am still dreaming about.

The poutine pleasure train didn't stop there. Fred and I moseyed across the street, three poutines down, to give a go at Ma Poule Mouillée's delish Portuguese chicken poutine made with chorizo, and São Jorge cheese.

This was Fred's first ever time at Ma Poule Mouillée and it's safe to say it won't be his last. The poutine was doused in gravy and offered an explosion of flavour in each and every bite. As I put it at the restaurant, this poutine touches your soul the moment it meets your taste buds.

After demolishing four poutines, it was time to call it a day. We weren't specifically seeking a "best" here, and each poutine offered a unique culinary experience. But it may be worth noting that, days later, La Sud-Ouest from La Banquise and the poutine at Ma Poule Mouillée are still living in my head absolutely rent-free.